Conductor rail support element

ABSTRACT

A support structure for supporting a conductor rail and especially useful in subway systems in which stringent space restrictions exist includes an electrically insulated conductor rail-supporting seat and an electrically conductive seatsupporting arm. The latter is secured to one end of a rail tie to extend laterally outwardly and obliquely upwardly therefrom while the rail-supporting seat is mounted on that arm for adjustment of its position in both the vertical and lateral directions.

United States Patent 1 1 [111 3,735,845 Harmsen 1 May 29, 1973 [54] CONDUCTOR RAIL SUPPORT 3,437,765 4/1969 l-larmsen ..191/32 ELEMENT 3,618,851 11/1971 Smith et al...

877,804 1/1908 Steinberger.. [76] Inventor: Johan L. l-larmsen, 68 l-lawkndge 932,523 8/1909 weaver Avenue, M Ontano, 917,501 4/1909 Steinberger ..191/32 Canada [22] Filed: 11 1971 Primary ExaminerDrayton E. Hoffman A ttorney-James T. Wilber, Arne l. Fors and Frank [21] Appl. No.: 170,823 L piper [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Aug. 24 1970 Great Britain ..91381/70 A Structure Ppwing a and especially useful in subway systems in which strin- 52 us. c1 ..191/32 191/30 gem Space restrictims exist includes elecm'cany [51] Int. Cl. ..B60m 1/30 sulated conductor rail'supporting Seat and an electri' 58 Field of Search ..191/29 30 32 40- cally seat'suppwing The latter is 238/281 secured to one end of a rail tie to extend laterally outwardly and obliquely upwardly therefrom while the [56] Reierences Cited rail-supporting seat is mounted on that arm for adjustment of its position in both the vertical and lateral UNITED STATES PATENTS directions.

1,984,245 12/1934 Banks ..191/32 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures n 36 IT." 38 34 moth 33 1 7 351 lillllll/p ll I l a PATENTED MAY 2 9 I975 SHEET 1 [IF 2 INVENTOR. JOHAN L. HARMSEN 1 CONDUCTOR RAIL SUPPORT ELEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to support structures intended for attachment to rail ties for the purpose of supporting a conductor rail to one side and upwardly of such ties. More particularly, the invention relates to a support structure for the aforementioned purpose and which structure is specifically designed for use in subway systems where very little space is available beyond the ends of the rail ties.

Very many support structures for supporting the conductor rails of electrified rail systems have heretofore been proposed but, with the continuing development of this type of transportation system, the need for further improvement and modification of such support structures has been far from satisfied. Not only is there a need for a support structure which functions satisfactorily and which can be installed with the minimum effort and maximum effectiveness, but there is the ever present requirement that such structures should have the lowest possible cost. Even minor modifications, for example, in subway system tunnels, may lead to new requirements which must be met by support structures of the type in question.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a support structure for the purpose specified and which structure is both relatively simple in its construction and effective in its performance.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a support structure for a conductor rail and which structure permits both the vertical position and the lateral position of such a conductor rail relative to the rail ties on which it is supported to be adjusted in a simple but positive manner.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a conductor rail support structure which can be used in subway tunnels of limited diameters and in which only a relatively narrow space is available at the side of the track for mounting such a conductor rail.

A further object of this invention is to provide a conductor rail support structure including a rail-supporting seat mounted on a seat-supporting arm and in which structure such a seat-supporting arm can be formed of an electrically conductive material, such as aluminum, without risk of shorting or arcing between the conductor rail and the metallic arm.

as the description herein proceeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In its broadest scope, the present invention provides a support structure for supporting a conductor rail and adapted to be secured to a horizontally disposed rail tie in proximity to a lateral end thereof and which includes an electrically insulating conductor rail-supporting seat and an electrically conductive seat-supporting arm, said electrically conductive seat-supporting arm including at a first lateral end thereof a rail tie-abutting surface, and means for securing said supporting arm to the rail tie with said rail tie-abutting surface in abutment with a top surface of the rail tie so that said seatsupporting arm extends obliquely upwardly and laterally outwardly from the lateral end of the rail tie to a second lateral end of said arm, said electrically insulating conductor rail-supporting seat including means for retaining the conductor rail supported thereon, and

said support structure including adjustable securing means for securing said rail-supporting seat on said seat-supporting am in proximity to said second lateral end thereof in vertically and laterally adjustable positions on said seat-supporting arm.

The seat-supporting arm provided in a support structure in accordance with this invention is usefully formed with an upstanding web extending between the first and second lateral ends of that arm, and which web is integrally formed along an upper lateral edge thereof with a top flange member adapted to have said railsupporting seat adjustably mounted thereon and which web is integrally formed along a lower lateral edge thereof with a bottom flange including said rail tieabutting surface.

In order to the risk of arcing or shorting between a conductor rail supported on a support structure in accordance with this invention and the electrically conductive seat-supporting arm of that structure, the rail-supporting seat of such a structure is usefully integrally formed with a plurality of spaced apart, downwardly extending peripheral skirts providing an extended tortuous surface path for preventing the flow of electrical current between the conductor rail and said electrically conductive seat-supporting arm.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description herein proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described merely by way of illustration with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one particularly useful embodiment of a support structure in accordance with the invention, and showing such structure mounted on a horizontally disposed rail tie and the manner in which that support structure is used to support a conductor rail;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical elevation partly in section of the support structure shown in FIG. 1 when taken as indicated by the arrows 2-2 of that figure and additionally showing the attachment to the support structure of an upstanding bracket having a conductor rail protective cover attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the support structure of FIGS. 1 and 2 when taken as indicated by the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the support structure of the preceding figures when viewed as indicated by the arrows 4-4 of FIGS. 2 and 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the support structure generally indicated therein at 10 is intended for supporting a conductor or third rail generally indicated at 11 in such a position that it is disposed obliquely upwardly and laterally outwardly of a rail tie generally indicated at 12 and on which the track rails 13 are mounted in any conventional manner. The support structure lo'includes an electrically conductive seat-supporting arm generally indicated at 14 and having a lateral inner end 15 and a lateral outer end 16. An electrically insulating conductor rail-supporting seat generally indicated at 17 is adjustably mounted on the arm 14 in proximity to the outer end 16 thereof in a manner which will be explained in more detail as the description herein proceeds.

It should perhaps be explained at this juncture that, when reference is made herein to the lateral direction, such references are intended to refer to the longitudinal direction of the rail tie 12. The longitudinal direction of the track rail 13 and of the conductor rail 11 is, therefore, referred to herein as the transverse direction" since such direction is transverse to the rail tie. Furthermore, references herein to the vertical direction are intended to embrace specific situations where the rail tie 12 will be disposed at a slight slope across the track as will be the case, for example, on a banked curve. In such a circumstance, the vertical direction could well be disposed at a small angle to the true vertical but would still of course be generally perpendicular to both the hereinbefore defined lateral and transverse directions.

In the particular embodirnet shown in the accompanying drawings, the seat-supporting arm 14 is an integrally formed metallic member, for example, of aluminum, and includes an upstanding web 20, a top flange 21 and a bottom flange 22, the bottom flange 22 including a widened portion 23 which extends generally horizontally outwardly from the inner end to provide a rail tie-abutting surface 24 for abutment with the top surface 25 of the rail tie 12. The seat-supporting arm 14 is secured to the rail tie 12 by screw bolts 26 extending through the top and bottom flanges 21 and 22 respectively in proximity to the inner end 15 of the arm 14. Further securement of the arm 14 to the rail tie 12 is provided by screw bolts 28 extending through holes provided for this purpose in the bottom flange 22 in proximity to the outer end of the rail tie 12 as will readily be understood by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

As already explained, the seat-supporting arm 14 extends obliquely upwardly and laterally outwardly from the end of the rail tie 12. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the top flange 21 of the arm 14 is formed near its second or outer end 16 with a generally honzontal portion 29 to which extra structural strength is provided by two laterally spaced apart pairs of transversely disposed and integrally formed brace flanges 30 and 31 extending from the undersurface of the portion 29 of the top flange 21 to the web 20.

Referring now in greater detail to the structure of the rail-supporting seat 17, it will be seen that the seat 17 comprises a moulded body of electrically insulating material, such as a polyester resin, and that it includes a pair of laterally spaced apart and transversely extending upstanding walls 33 and 34 integrally formed with a crown 35 and defining an upwardly open railreceiving recess 36 in which the base of the conductor rail 11 is secured as will best be understood by reference to FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings. Plates 38 retained in position by nuts 39 screwed onto stud bolts 40 projecting upwardly from the walls 33 and 34 serve to retain the flanges of the base 37 of the rail 11 in a laterally movable position within the recess 36.

The crown 35 of the seat 17 is integrally formed with an outer downwardly extending peripheral skirt 42 and a similar but shorter inner peripheral skirt 43. The skirts 42 and 43 serve to provide an extended tortuous path to prevent the undesired flow of electrical current between the conductor rail 11 and the electrically conductive seat-supporting arm 14. This is particularly important in'circumstances where the seat 17 must be of a relatively squat configuration as, for example, will be the case where the track is being laid in a small diameter tunnel and there is insufficient space available for the seat-supporting arm 14 to extend generally horizontally outwardly from the end of a rail tie, such as the rail tie 12.

The manner in which the rail-supporting seat 17 is mounted on the seat-supporting arm 14 for adjustment in both the lateral and vertical directions will now be explained with particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings. For this purpose, the aforementioned generally horizontal portion 29 of the top flange 21 of the seat-supporting arm 14 is integrally formed with a generally centrally disposed and laterally extending upstanding flange 45. The crown 35 of the rail-supporting seat 17 is provided in its undersurface with a boss 51 which is integrally formed with a downardly extending sleeve generally indicated at 52 and which comprises transversely spaced apart lateral walls 53 and 54, the aforementioned flange 45 being adjustably received within the sleeve 52 to maintain the railsupporting seat 17 in a fixed transverse position relative to the arm 14. Each of the lateral walls 53 and 54 of the sleeve 52 is bifurcated to provide upwardly extending slots 58 and 59 respectively for receiving the shank of a bolt 47 and to permit adjustment of the vertical position of the seat 17 on the arm 14. The bolt 47 also passes through a laterally extending slot 55 in the flange 45 to permit adjustment of the lateral position of the seat 17 on the arm 14. The walls 53 and 54 are interconnected at their edges by webs 60 and 61 (FIG. 3). It is particularly to be noted that the lateral spacing between the webs 60 and 61 is greater than the lateral length of the upstanding flange 45 of the arm 14 so as to permit the desired adjustment of the lateral position of the seat 17. A nut 48 is threaded onto the bolt 47 and washers 50 are provided on the bolt 47 to ensure positive engagement with the outer surfaces of the walls 53 and 54 of the sleeve 52.

The lowermost position of the seat 17 relative to the seat-supporting arm 14 is of course determined by engagement of the undersurfaces of the walls 53, 54, 60 and 61 of the sleeve 52 with the top surface of the portion 29 of the top flange 21 of the arm 14. If it is required to adjust the vertical position of the seat 17 so that the conductor rail 11 is supported in a somewhat higher position, a shim 63 (FIG. 4) is usefully disposed beneath the sleeve 52 before the flange 45 is inserted into that sleeve. With the seat 17 in its desired vertical position and with the sleeve 52 resting firmly on such a shim, the nut 48 is tightened on the bolt 47 to draw the walls 53 and 54 transversely together so tightly to clamp the flange 45 firmly therebetween. It will also be understood that, once the nut 48 has so been tightened, the position of the seat 17 in the lateral direction is also fixed.

In accordance with another useful but optional feature of this invention, the seat-supporting arm 14 is usefully adapted at its outer end 16 to have an upstanding mounting bracket generally indicated at attached thereto as shown in FIG. 2 but omitted from the remaining figures of the accompanying drawings.

The bracket 70 shown in FIG. 2 is designed to support a conductor rail protective cover 71 which provides a type of canopy over the conductor rail 11 along its length for the purpose of preventing accidental contact of personnel with that electrified rail. The bracket 70 does not form an essential part of the structure of this invention and is provided only in accordance with an optional feature thereof. It is to be noted that the bracket 70 is formed with integral inner and outer walls 72 and 73 respectively which meet at an acute-angled apex 74 and which terminate in parallel bifurcated tongues '75'and 76 respectively which can be inserted about the web 20 of the arm 14 so that one leg of each such tongue is disposed on each side of that web 20. The bracket 70 is usefully formed so that the inner and outer walls 72 and 73 respectively thereof can be resiliently pressed together while the tongues 75 and 76 are inserted between the top and bottom flanges 21 and 22 respectively of the arm 14. On releasing the walls 72 and '73, the bracket 70 is then retained in position. On its outer face, the outer wall 73 of the bracket 70 is formed with an upwardly facing and transversely extending slot 78 into which the lower edge of the cover '71 is received and supported after a clamping strip 79 secured to the other edge of the cover 71 by a bolt 80 has been inserted under the apex 74 as will readily be understood by reference to FIG. 2.

Although the invention has hereinbefore been described with reference to the particular embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that numerous modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, it is to be noted that the invention is in no way restricted to the provision of only one upstanding flange on the seat-supporting arm. As already explained, the support structure can, if desired, be adapted to support a bracket intended in turn to support a conductor rail protective cover. Alternatively, such a feature may be omitted.

Furthermore and as already explained herein, a particularly advantageous feature of the support structures of this invention results from the provision therein of a rail-supporting seat such as seat 17 which is formed with a plurality of downwardly extending peripheral skirts so as to permit such a seat to be formed with a smaller overall height without risk of shorting or arcing between the conductor rail and the seat-supporting arm. Such a situation is illustrated in FIG. 2 from which it will be seen that the wall 85 of the tunnel in which the rail track is laid is so close to the rail tie 12 that it would be impossible to mount the conductor rail 11 on a support structure extending directly upwardly from a lateral extension of the rail tie or even on an arm extending horizontally outwardly from the rail tie.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A support structure for supporting a conductor rail and adapted to be secured to a horizontally disposed rail tie in proximity to a lateral end thereof and which includes an electrically insulating conductor railsupporting seat and an electrically conductive seatsupporting arm, said electrically conductive seatsupporting arm including at a first lateral end thereof a rail tie-abutting surface, and means for securing said supporting arm to the rail tie with said rail tie-abutting surface in abutment with a top surface of the rail tie so that said seat-supporting arm extends obliquely upwardly and laterally outwardly from the lateral end of the rail tie to a second lateral end of said arm, said railsupporting seat including a hollow downwardly extending sleeve having opposed vertically slotted walls and said seat-supporting arm having an integrally formed and laterally extending and laterally slotted upstanding flange adapted to be received within said sleeve of said seat to maintain said seat in a fixed transverse position which is selectivey adjustable in both thl lateral and vertical directions relative to said arm.

2. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said rail-supporting seat includes a plurality of spaced apart, downwardly extending peripheral skirts providing an extending tortuous surface path for preventing the flow of electrical current between the conductor rail and said electrically conductive seat-supporting arm.

3. A support structure as claimed in claim 2 which includes a bolt extending through said slotted flange of said seat-supporting arm and through said slotted walls of said downwardly extending sleeve of said railsupporting seat for adjustment of the selective lateral and vertical positions of said seat on said seatsupporting arm.

4. A support structure as claimed in claim 3 in which said seat-supporting arm has secured thereto at said second lateral end thereof an upstanding bracket for attachment in turn thereto of a conductor rail protective cover and in which said upstanding bracket is formed with a transversely extending and upwardly facing slot for supportingly receiving a lower edge of such a protective cover.

A support structure as claimed in claim 4 which additionally comprises an upstanding bracket for attachment thereto of a conductor rail protective cover and which bracket in turn comprises inner and outer walls terminating in bifurcated tongues adapted to straddle an outer end portion of said upstanding web of said seat-supporting arm, said bracket being adapted to urge said inner and outer walls thereof apart and into abutment with respective ones of said top flange and said bottom flange of said seat-supporting arm.

6. A support structure as claimed in claim 5 in which said seat-supporting arm comprises at least one transversely disposed structural brace extending between said top flange and said web generally below said railsupporting seat.

' t 'i' W W I 

1. A support structure for supporting a conductor rail and adapted to be secured to a horizontally disposed rail tie in proximity to a lateral end thereof and which includes an electrically insulating conductor rail-supporting seat and an electrically conductive seat-supporting arm, said electrically conductive seat-supporting arm including at a first lateral end thereof a rail tie-abutting surface, and means for securing said supporting arm to the rail tie with said rail tie-abutting surface in abutment with a top surface of the rail tie so that said seat-supporting arm extends obliquely upwardly and laterally outwardly from the lateral end of the rail tie to a second lateral end of said arm, said rail-supporting seat including a hollow downwardly extending sleeve having opposed vertically slotted walls and said seat-supporting arm having an integrally formed and laterally extending and laterally slotted upstanding flange adapted to be received within said sleeve of said seat to maintain said seat in a fixed transverse position which is selectively adjustable in both the lateral and vertical directions relative to said arm.
 2. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said rail-supporting seat includes a plurality of spaced apart, downwardly extending peripheral skirts providing an extending tortuous surface path for preventing the flow of electrical current between the conductor rail and said electrically conductive seat-supporting arm.
 3. A support structure as claimed in claim 2 which includes a bolt extending through said slotted flange of said seat-supporting arm and through said slotted walls of said downwardly extending sleeve of said rail-supporting seat for adjustment of the selective lateral and vertical positions of said seat on said seat-supporting arm.
 4. A support structure as claimed in claim 3 in which said seat-supporting arm has secured thereto at said second lateral end thereof an upstanding bracket for attachment in turn thereto of a conductor rail protective cover and in which said upstanding bracket is formed with a transversely extending and upwardly facing slot for supportingly receiving a lower edge of such a protective cover.
 5. A support structure as claimed in claim 4 which additionally comprises an upstanding bracket for attachment thereto of a conductor rail protective cover and which bracket in turn comprises inner and outer walls terminating in bifurcated tongues adapted to straddle an outer end pOrtion of said upstanding web of said seat-supporting arm, said bracket being adapted to urge said inner and outer walls thereof apart and into abutment with respective ones of said top flange and said bottom flange of said seat-supporting arm.
 6. A support structure as claimed in claim 5 in which said seat-supporting arm comprises at least one transversely disposed structural brace extending between said top flange and said web generally below said rail-supporting seat. 